


Remember (Where You Came From)

by silversash



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Anger, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Endgame Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Hosie, Inspired by episode 1x10, Jealousy, Other, Slight OOC Josie, Slow Burn, Triad Industries, Violence, probably, slight AU, tribrid hope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:34:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23776174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silversash/pseuds/silversash
Summary: "This is a world of darkness and isolation ,one where only the strongest can survive.It’s the natural versus the supernatural and until one ultimately destroys the other, we will spend the rest of our lives running."OrIt's been three years since Triad Industries declared war on all Supernatural races, revealing their secrets to the world.Having spent those years running from the organisation that slaughtered so many of her friends and family, Josie has long forgotten the loving and caring girl she once used to be.But when she runs into the shadows of her past, she must learn to remember.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman/Original Character(s), Milton "MG" Greasley/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 27
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An AU fic inspired by the consequences Lizzie's third wish in Episode 10 of Season 1.  
> The events featured in the flashbacks take place sometime after Season 2.

The dull lights of the cloud filled morning sky slip their way in through the small crack in the wooden wall. Letting out a soft groan, Josie turns over on to her right side to hide the light from her vision. After a bad night's sleep, the last thing she wants to do is get up. 

It’s been another nightmare-plagued sleep, the type where the scenes in her head become so vivid, the only way to tell they’re not real is when she is woken by the sounds of her own screams. She has maybe gotten two or three hours of sleep last night, it will keep her going today, but just barely. 

As she lies still, she wonders how much longer she can take this, these restless nights, being haunted by the same flashbacks. Last night, she had to endure once again the last memory she has of her father. It's as clear to her even now; as it was the day it happened. The roaring flames burning their backs, Alaric pulling her into one last embrace. 

_ "Run Josie, and you can never stop, find the others and do whatever you need to do to stay alive. You hear me?" _

_ "Do you promise?" Her father demanded aggressively. _

_ "I promise Dad!" Josie cried back as the heat began to spread to her face. _

_ "Whatever it takes!" he cries out above the crackling fire. _

The ending of the dream changed over time. For a long time, the dream ended with Alaric placing a soft kiss on the forehead before disappearing from sight, walking away to a safer place.

But Josie was in denial back then. It wasn't until a while later, when she found herself travelling alone and actually had time to sit and think that she allowed herself to come to terms with the fact that the world her father had left her alone in was not the one she had been raised in.

It’s a world of darkness and isolation,one where only the strongest can survive. It’s the natural versus the supernatural, and until one ultimately destroys the other she knows she and her kind will spend the rest of our lives running. When she finally accepted these facts, the dreams changed into nightmares and instead of watching her father walk away, she began seeing him become engulfed by flames or beaten to a pulp by the soldiers, or on a really bad night, both.

In some dreams, the fear in his eyes is replaced by disappointment, and for Josie honestly that's just as bad as watching him die, knowing that she could only follow one of his demands, and had picked the selfish option. She saved herself. 

There are some nights when she can’t sleep and she just lies there, consumed by guilt, She starts wondering about how many other Salvatore students could possibly be left? She had given up hope on her friends and family a long time ago. The last time she saw her sister, Lizzie was bleeding out on the floor of the Stefan Salvatore memorial library, screaming for Josie to run. So much for them breaking the Gemini curse just a few months earlier. 

All the same, she’d at least like to know how far the rest of them made it. MG was there the night her father and sister perished, she can only imagine he decided to play the hero and stay behind to fight. She’d like to think some of the other students made it out alive. Then there were the ones who fled before the fight even started, the  _ cowards _ she once called her best friends.  _ But really, _ she wonders,  _ how much better am I? Didn’t I do the same? Leave my family to die to save my own life?  _

A shallow patter of footsteps outside disturbs her from her thoughts, she instantly recognizes the sound of leaves crunching under heavy boots. She can vaguely recall a time where such a sound might have frightened and tempted her to run and hide, but now she just grabs her crossbow and gets it over with.

She pushes open the wooden door of the cabin, it creaks and catches the attention of the hunter across the clearing. His eyes meet hers and his hand immediately dives for the gun inside his coat pocket but before Josie can even see the barrel of the gun, there’s an arrow lodged in his heart.

The man slumps to the ground, a low grunt escaping his lips. He never stood a chance. Blood starts to trickle down his chest from the wound her arrow has left there

She places her crossbow down on the porch before trudging across the frosty ground to his body. Of course it was instantly obvious from his stocky build, and jet black clothing that he was a Triad but that doesn’t stop her rolling back the sleeve of his jacket to find the black, vervain soaked bracelet on his wrist with a silver Triad symbol to confirm. She quickly tugs it off of the corpse, tossing it across the frozen ground.

“Mmm, you brought breakfast,” A smug voice whispers behind her. Josie shudders as cold lips brush against her neck. She turns around to face her company, wondering how she didn’t even hear her come outside.

She’s met with a toothy grin and ashen blonde hair still messy from sleep but the vampire has still managed to dress herself in Josie’s favorite brown leather jacket.    
“Didn’t you have enough to eat last night Vi?” Josie teases, tugging on the collar of her dark jumper to remind the blonde of the red, bite marks that still reside just above her collarbone.

“Oh come on Jo, you know I would never let good food go to waste,” Violet replies with a soft chuckle. She wraps an arm around Josie’s waist and pulls her closer. “You okay? You were screaming in your sleep again. I thought we agreed I was the only one who got to make you scream.”

“Sorry, bad dreams,” Josie sighs, loosening herself from Violet’s grip. She’s not exactly in the mood to make jokes right now when a hunter lies dead just a few feet away from them.

“Hey, what happened out here?” A male voice joins the conversation, Josie turns her head slightly to see Jonathan approach them. He takes one look at the body, before looking back at the siphoner skeptically. “What the hell was he doing out here? I thought they left two days ago.”

“They did!” Josie insists. She had watched their dark grey trucks pull away from their camp, one after the other each loaded with a number of tall, stocky soldiers. “So either this poor guy did something wrong to get left behind or they’re on their way back for something. Either way I think it’s safest to get out of here.” 

“No,” Violet whines restlessly. “Not until after we eat!”

Josie turns back to Jonathan, fully expecting the werewolf to agree with her on this but instead he just shrugs his shoulders at her. “I think we could all do with some breakfast before we hit the road. You especially Josie, you haven’t eaten properly in a week. I saw some rabbits in the woods I could catch a few and cook them”   
The brunette’s stomach turns at this. “I’m fine, I’m pretty sure I can find some berries or something.”

The wolf just chuckles in response. “Come on Jo, you need to keep your strength up. A bit of meat won’t kill you.”

“Fine.” The witch lets out a heavy, frustrated sigh. “But we leave in an hour. Seeing as you’re getting the food,I’ll go get the truck and bring it back here. Violet, you can do whatever you want with him just bury him after yeah?”

Violet doesn’t need to hear another word before she descends down on the lifeless body, warm blood still oozing out from the wound. Jonathan nods and returns inside to get dressed, while Josie heads towards the woods.

* * *

She doesn't hesitate to get away from the camp and into the dense, frost stricken forest, reveling in the thought of getting some time for herself. The trees here are at least a hundred feet high, they’ve no visible branches so they’re useless for climbing or for hiding out in, but this stay was never going to be anything longer than temporary. 

_ “Over here!” _ A sudden voice shouts. 

She freezes. That definitely wasn't either of her camp mates. It was a male voice, he speaks again but his voice is drowned out by the footsteps running to join him. She realizes they are at the base of the snow covered hill, only metres away from her. 

_ Shit _ . She can’t take on a group all by herself, she hadn’t even bothered to siphon from Vi or Jonathan this morning. 

She slips behind the thick bark of the tree to hide herself from view but she’s still far away enough to be able to peep her head out and see what’s going on.

There’s three of them in total. A tall, dark haired man and holding on to him for support is a smaller male who can’t be much older than a teenager and a woman, her auburn hair tied back in a tight ponytail.  _ They don’t exactly look like hunters,  _ she thinks.   
“We need to get out of this forest guys, I don’t think we’re going to find anything!” The girl speaks, a frustrated tone to her voice.   
“We’re not going to make it out of these woods if we don’t take a break,” The taller male argues. “We need water, and I don't know how much further he can walk on that leg, I think it’s a sprain.”

_ So maybe they’re not Triads, but they’re definitely on the run _ . They’re probably other supernaturals running from Triad but even so Josie knows they can’t be too careful. Last time they ran into a group , there was a brawl and Violet almost ended up with her daylight ring cursed off of her.

“Fine,” the female grunts, “We’ll find somewhere around here to stop, but keep your guard up. I have a feeling we aren’t alone here.” 

She waits, holding her breath as she hears the intruders coming closer her way. She feels so cowardly hiding, but with just her crossbow and a handful of arrows, she can’t guarantee she’ll be able to take all three of them down. Hopefully they will just pass on out of here because if they run into her camp, Josie fears they won't be so lucky. And Josie really doesn't feel like killing anyone else today. 

"Over this way," The guy shouts from a distance, calling the others away from her locality. She lets out a deep sigh of relief but, somehow in the process, lets go of the piece of tree bark she has been holding on to for support and she slips on the frosty ground beneath her. Her head hits the ground with a thud. She gasps, afraid this slip up could reveal her, but somehow her luck kicks in and just one of them manages to turn around. The auburn haired girl.

Josie meets her eyes for a split second but it’s as though the other girl sees right past them. She turns and continues on her way with her two companions, seemingly unbothered. Meanwhile, Josie remains frozen to the ground, unable to move, for a moment she thinks she recognizes those light blue eyes but waves it off to the idea that it's just the ghosts of her past trying to haunt her again. 

Once they are safely out of the vicinity, Josie stumbles onto her feet deciding to head back to camp to warn her camp mates that they are not the only inhabitants in these woods. 

As she threads across the snow scattered ground, she considers where their next destination will be. She’d like to find another village or town to hide out in, because even though they pose a greater risk of being caught, being inside an actual building with a soft place to lie and a roof over your head makes her feel slightly more human. 

Not that she feels much anymore. She hasn't in a long time. Sure, Violet knows how to make her feel good, but sometimes she thinks it's really just a distraction from the constant feeling of emptiness inside of her. Hell, she doesn't even feel like a witch most of the time any more, ever since it became too much of a risk to use their magic. Sometimes even the smallest of spells can trigger the Triad’s tracking devices, which they obviously tortured some poor witch into assisting them to make. A simple fire spell could cost Josie and the others their lives if they’re not careful enough.

As she draws closer to the camp, she notices footprints in the snow that aren’t her own.

_ The trio must have passed through this way,  _ she realizes,  _ which means they may have stumbled into my group. _

She feels herself grow anxious, and her mind is suddenly replaying images of those eyes in the forest. There’s something about them , she’s almost sure now that she knows them, but she is  _ really _ hoping otherwise. She makes the final turn on the pathway and stops herself just on the outside of the campsite, beside the glowing fire pit.

Just as she predicted, the intruders have found themselves in the grasp of her two group members. It’s two against three but Josie’s group has always defied proportions. The taller male finds himself in a headlock at the mercy of Jonathan. The auburn haired woman has her leather-clad back turned to Josie but the witch can still tell that Violet has a knife pressed to her throat.

“Vi,” Josie whispers as she edges closer. “What’s going on?”   
“Jo,” Violet’s lips, covered in the blood of the dead Triad, curl up into a smirk. “We’ve got some guests.”

At the sound of the brunette’s name, Violet’s captive’s head turns and those light blue eyes once again meet Josie’s and the brunette finally sees her face up close. A face she hasn’t seen in three years, one she  _ never _ wanted to see again.

They seem to react in sync. Both of their mouths drop in sheer shock , eyes widen as they both take in how the other has changed in the three years since their last encounter.

Somehow it’s the auburn haired girl who plucks up the courage to speak first.  _ “Josie?” _

A name escapes Josie’s lips in little more than a whisper. _ “Hope.” _


	2. Chapter 2

Hope has seen a number of her ghosts in her lifetime. Between the hallucinations of her parents that plagued her adolescence and the faces of her fallen classmates that have haunted her dreams for the past three years, she’s had her fair share of seeing the dead come back to life.

She guesses that’s why she doesn’t think anything of the brunette curls and the brown, doe eyes she sees on top of the hill that morning.

_Just another stabbing reminder of the past_ , she tells herself before trudging through the mud to catch up with Jed and a limping Pedro.

She’s growing more and more frustrated by the minute, they’ve been travelling all night and yet they’ve still found nothing. 

Jed says the map must have been wrong, but the map has never been wrong before. They just must have been too late. Her decision to embark on this expedition had already caused so much debate, she fears the reaction she will receive when she returns home empty handed.

“Over here!” Jed calls from up ahead, she watches him take a swift left down a pathway and disappear through a grove of trees, Pedro struggling to keep up with him. Jed had been right, Pedro’s leg really needed some attention before they could carry on. She hopes Jed has found the teenager to sit down before he passes out from the pain.

As she edges closer to the trees her companions have just disappeared through, she’s almost sure she can smell blood - _fresh blood._ She’s thanking her lucky stars that no vampires had volunteered to come on this mission, having nothing but bagged animal blood to feed on the past two years she’s not sure how well she’d be able to control any of them.

On the other side of the trees, she finds Jed hunched down beside a lifeless body, dressed in an instantly recognizable black, rig out.

_Triad._

Jed meets her eyes, “He’s not dead long, but he’s completely drained. You were right Hope, we’re not alone.”

“Vampires,” she thinks out loud, as she gets a closer glance of the bite marks left on the man’s neck. Certainly not the supernatural being she had been hoping to find.  
“ _Vampire,_ ” a voice corrects. “Singular.”

Hope eye’s leave the body on the ground, and meet those of small, yet feisty looking blonde just a couple of feet away from them.

Her blood-stained lips curl up into a smirk. “Now how about you tell me who you are, and what the hell you’re doing in our camp?”

* * *

Hope’s never felt so pathetic in her life.

She blames MG for this. If she hadn’t been kept inside, constantly under the close, personal supervision of her friends like a _prisoner_ for the past two years,maybe she would have been able to react quick enough to defend herself from the vampire that’s currently holding a wickedly sharp blade against her neck.

She doesn’t understand why this is even happening. Shouldn’t supernaturals be protecting each other after all their kind has been put through, instead of trying to kill each other? 

She also doesn’t understand why their vampire and werewolf captives have yet to kill them, or hurt them any further. It’s as though they are waiting on somebody’s authority.

_Maybe they’re possessed and working for Triad,_ she ponders. It’s not like it would be the first time it’s happened.

Hope realises she’s about to get her answers when she hears a rustling of leaves nearby and some light footsteps make their way through the trees behind her. 

“Vi,” the soft voice of the stranger standing just inches behind her whispers. “What’s going on?”

Hope cringes at the overexcited tone of her captor. “Jo, we’ve got some guests.”

_Jo?_ Hope frowns at the sound of a name she hasn’t heard spoken in a long time, and suddenly her mind flashes back to the warm, brown eyes she had dismissed earlier in the forest. 

Sure enough, there she stands. Slightly older, thinner and wary looking. But it’s _her_ all the same.

She can feel her throat tighten, and despite struggling to breathe she manages to force out the girl’s name. “ _Josie.”_

The brunette’s shocked expression dissolves into a frown as she exhales little more than a whisper. _“Hope.”_

The tribrid could almost swear she felt her heart let out a beat. Hearing _that voice_ say her name again sends a wave of warmth right through her.She waits for Josie to respond but instead the moment is ruined by the pitchy vampire holding on to her.   
“Josie, you know these people?”

While Josie, looking dumbstruck, fails to respond or even move from place, Hope manages to worm her away free of the blonde vampire’s grip and takes a cautious step across the frosty ground to get a closer look. Her eyes growing wider with each step she takes.

“It can’t be -” she whispers aloud. 

Still frowning, the long lost Saltzman twin stumbles forward as though to get a closer view only to find herself embraced in the tribrid’s arms.

Without necessarily meaning to, Hope inhales the younger girl’s scent. It’s not as strong as she remembers, but somewhere beneath the layers of dirt and mud she can smell the sweet aura that always seemed to follow her preferred Saltzman twin.

“ _Josie_ ,” she whispers into messy, brown curls and she can feel tears prick the back of her eyes. “How is this possible? We thought you were dead. We heard you died in the fires-”

She quickly finds herself on the ground, thrown forcefully on to her ass by the siphoner who looks down at her with gritted teeth. “We?” Josie snarls. “You mean you and the other traitor who left the rest of us to fight and die?”

An expression of pain washes over Hope’s face. How stupid could she be, to think Josie would forgive her so easily.

"Jose, let me explain!”  
“You don’t get to call me that!” A literal _growl_ rips from Josie's throat.

“Woah ease off of her Josie!” A voice grunts in the background, and Josie snaps her head around to see two more faces she had never thought she’d encounter again.

“Jed? Pedro?”  
“Hi Josie,” the younger boy who’s holding onto a rock for support smiles sheepishly. For a second, Hope swears she can sees Josie's expression soften. 

“So what do you want us to do Josie?” Violet cuts across once again, clearly bored of the conversation going on without her. “You want us to kill them?”

The blonde’s hand latches onto Hope’s elbow only to find herself flipped onto the hard ground seconds later.   
“I’d like to see you fucking try,” Hope spits back, her wolf threatening to emerge from its slumber.

“Hope, leave her alone!” 

The tribrid’s eyes widen in bewilderment as Josie hisses at her in defence of the sociopathic vampire. “Are you serious Josie? We’ve literally done nothing wrong!”

“What exactly did you expect Hope?” 

The tribrid shudders at the bitterness of Josie’s tone, in all the years she’d known her, all the ups and downs of their complicated relationship she never knew the brunette to be so _cold._   
“Did you think you could just invade someone else’s space? And just take over like you had the right? Create some kind of commotion and then just disappear without a word? Get out of here, before somebody gets hurt.”

Hope knows Josie isn’t talking about the camp anymore but when she tries to lock eyes, the brunette just turns on her heels and begins to storm away.

“Where are you going?” Violet shouts after her. Josie doesn’t even bother to spare her a look back as she screams in response.

_“I just need a minute to think!”_   
  


An awkward silence falls upon the rest of those left standing in the clearing, eyes glancing nervously around the circular formation they’ve managed to form between them, waiting for somebody to make the next move. Hope’s too busy thinking about the way Josie has just stormed off - like she didn’t even care to see that Hope was alive. Like she hadn’t spent the last three years worrying what had happened to her. 

Before she can register her thoughts, her feet begin to stomp through the mud - as if of their own accord, following the trail of footprints left by the brunette witch.

* * *

She finds Josie by the edge of a frozen lake only a few minutes walk away from the camp. The witch is furiously skimming pebbles across the frozen surface in a careless attempt to crack the ice.

“Aren’t you even the least bit happy to see me?”

The brunette doesn’t turn to face her. “You know, the last time I saw Pedro, he was on the school bus with the rest of the kids escaping the school. Only a few hours later, I saw the bus burned to nothing on the side of the road. Please explain to me, how he was unfortunate enough to end up in your company.”

“We found him,” Hope answers. "And the other kids. Those who had managed to make it out alive. We managed to find Jed only a few weeks later."

" _We?"_ Josie questions for a second time.  
“We call ourselves the Resistance. We’ve spent the last two years trying to find other supernaturals and bring them to safety. Just like your father did in school.”

This only seems to aggravate the brunette more. 

“How dare you compare yourself to him?” she hisses, turning on her heels and finally allowing herself to face Hope. “Maybe if you hadn’t abandoned everyone in the first place, you wouldn’t need to scour the country trying to find what’s left of us!”

“Maybe if you let me tell you what actually happened?”

“It’s a little too late for that Hope! You didn’t even bother to leave a note. You gave up on us all.”

“That’s not true Josie, we’ve spent the past three years trying to fight back, and restore some type of peace between our kind and the humans.”

“Peace?” Josie lets out a laugh, but there’s no humor to her tone. “How can you even think that is still possible? It’s kill or be killed Hope!”

“Josie, what the hell happened to you? This isn’t you."  
"We've all had to change to survive." Josie spits back bitterly. "I'm not the girl you left behind."  
"Well I refuse to believe the girl I remember is gone. The girl who would do anything to fight for her family and friends.”   
“Is that so?” Josie replies, there’s a smirk on her face but Hope can only see pain in her eyes. “Well why don’t I show you what _I remember_ Hope?”

She takes a step forward, closing the gap between them. Hope feels a familiar sensation of butterflies in her stomach as she finds herself just a breath away from Josie’s lips, a reminder of times gone by. Josie, however, does not seem intent on sharing in the nostalgia. Instead,she sharply grabs Hope’s hand, their hands almost intertwining before Josie places the tribrid’s hand against her neck, inviting her into her memories.

**_Three Years Ago_ **

_“Josie!” Lizzie comes storming into the Stefan Salvatore library, her face pale with fear and eyes red from crying. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you. Dad needs us!”_

_“I was looking for -” Josie begins but is instantly cut off as Lizzie yanks her by the hand and pulls her towards the door. Josie’s eyes are still desperately scanning the room in search of something._

_As they rush through the hallways, they can hear painful cries emanating from every direction across the school. Josie tries not to think about the fact that her classmates are dying around her, she just prays the younger kids made it out in time to avoid all this bloody chaos._

_They stop running when they find their father waiting for them at the end of the staircase. His face is pale and washed over with fear. Not far beyond them a circle of witches are desperately struggling to keep up their barrier spell on the main entrance to the school. She’s not entirely sure what the point is when the Triad have already found so many other ways to infiltrate the school._ _  
_ _“Dad?” Josie croaks, forcing herself to meet her father’s eyes. Her words are barely audible above the screams and cries echoing around them._

_“Girls, I’m so sorry” He whispers gravely. “I don’t know how we didn’t see them coming. I’ve put everyone in danger.”_

_Josie jumps at the sound of glass and china being smashed somewhere down the hall. “What was that?”_

_“There’s some soldiers in the kitchen,” MG announces running towards them, Rafael not far behind, the werewolf’s eyes fading in and out of a golden haze as he tries to get his anger under control. “Alyssa and some of the other witches are trying to cast a spell to trap them there, but there’s more on the way.”_

_“What do you need us to do Dad?” Josie turns to her father._

_“I need you to defend your home. Do whatever you can to stop them, okay? I don’t care how much damage it inflicts, but I refuse to lose anyone else to them, understood?”_

_The Saltzman twins nod in sync._

_“Come on Jo, maybe if we set a fire in the tunnels we can cut them off.”_

_Lizzie’s hand is wrapped tightly around Josie’s wrist but the brunette is refusing to budge._

_“Jesus Christ, Jo! We don’t have time to be stalling! We need to get down to the tunnels now!"_

_“I know,” Josie whispers miserably, “but I can’t. Not until we find Hope, I’ve been searching everywhere for her!”_

_Josie doesn’t miss the painful look Lizzie shares with MG and her father._

_She can just about feel her heart shatter as MG looks down at her with sorrowful eyes. “Jo, Hope is gone. She and Landon left an hour ago.”_

  
  


As the memory fades, Josie pushes Hope away from her once more. She takes a step back on to the frozen lake to create even more distance between them.

“I had to watch my family suffer and die that night! You didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye,” she spits out the words like venom. “Did I mean that little to you? Did you see me as so weak that you ran back to your ex-boyfriend?””  
“It wasn’t like that Josie! You need to let me explain -”  
“Where is he now anyway? Isn’t he part of your movement to save all supernatural beings from imminent death?”

She continues to walk across the lake while Hope stands dumbfounded at the edge, unsure as to whether or not she should risk stepping on to the lake. Their combined weights might be all it takes for the thin layer of ice to shatter.

“The Resistance, _”_ Hope doesn’t even know why bothers to correct her.   
“The Resistance, right.” Josie snorts. “What a ridiculous name.”  
“Well your sister doesn’t seem to think so, she was the one who named it. Said it came to her in a dream or something-”

This seems to catch the brunette’s attention because before Hope knows it, the brunette has started storming back in her direction. Hope can almost swear she hears the ice beginning to crack.

“What did you say about my sister?” Josie shouts and Hope gasps in realization.   
“Oh my gosh, you don’t know. Josie!”  
“Don’t know what?” The brunette demands.

“Josie, _Lizzie’s alive!”_

And just as the siphoner takes a step forward, both girls shudder at the sickening, final crack of the ice beneath Josie who screams as she plummets into the jaws of the icy depths below.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie and Hope get a brief moment alone.
> 
> The next chapter of their journey begins.

The first thing Josie notices when she comes to is the comforting warmth radiating around her.

She struggles to open her eyes but she can tell she’s being carried bridal style, her long limbs lazily dangling out of the arms of the person holding her.

Her mind is a bit foggy but this feels nice. She feels safe, for once, and she decides she doesn't mind being taken care of for a change.

But then she hears the soft voice calling her name and she suddenly feels the wet clothes clinging to her like a second skin and the numbness in her fingers.

_Hope_

Her eyes flutter open to find the tribrid looking down at her in concern, while soaked from head to toe. And then she remembers the ice cold water biting at her skin as she pummelled her fists against the icy ceiling, using up the last breath of air in her lungs in a desperate plea to survive. She remembers how the tribrid’s words rang in her head as her vision faded to dark.

_Lizzie’s alive. Lizzie’s alive. Lizzie’s alive._

“Josie?” Hope repeats.

  
“Lizzie,” Josie manages to cough out. “Is she really-”  
Hope’s lips part into a small smile, as she nods.  
“But how? I saw her - she had a spear in her stomach! There was blood everywhere!”  
“MG saved her.” Hope answers simply.  
“MG’s alive too?” 

Josie’s lungs forget how to function and it’s like she’s back in the frozen lake again. Her breaths suddenly become sharp and quick as she tries to process the fact she’s been living a lie, that she hasn’t been left alone in this world after all. She feels Hope’s grip tighten around her. 

“Hey Jo, it’s okay I got you.” 

Josie doesn’t realise she’s crying until the other girl reaches out her hand to wipe the tears of her cheek. She immediately feels heat rush to her face. She can’t believe she’s let herself look this weak in front of _Hope_ , of all people. She’s spent enough time the last three years trying to build up her walls to allow herself to cry like a helpless child in the middle of the forest.

“You know,” Hope continues even as Josie turns her head away. “She’s spent the last three years thinking you were dead too. You don’t know how much this will mean to her Josie, to everyone back at home!”

 _Home?_ Josie isn’t exactly sure how to reply, but before she even gets the chance she’s swiftly interrupted by a voice some distance away from them.

_“Hey! Get the hell away from her!”_

Josie tilts her head slightly to see Violet storming towards her. Jonathan , Jed and Pedro follow not far behind.

“I’m going to put you down now okay?” Hope whispers as she helps Josie to her feet. The brunette, unable to feel her legs, has to catch on to Hope’s arm to stand up.

  
“Relax Violet,” she tells the vampire who swoops her out of reaching distance from Hope. “I fell into the frozen lake. Hope got me out.”

She hadn’t really considered it before, but she guesses Hope saved her life. She wonders if this is supposed to make them even.

“Shit, are you okay?” The vampire wraps her arms around Josie when she nods. She places a chaste kiss on Josie's temple and Josie notices Hope’s neutral expression shift to a frown. She hates to think it but Violet’s cold-skinned embrace is nowhere near as comforting as Hope’s warm one. Not that she’ll admit that out loud of course.

“I know who you are.” Violet’s attention is back on Hope,a vicious stare-off beginning. “You’re the Tribrid. I knew I recognised your face.”

Hope visibly cringes at this, and Josie can’t help but wonder what it must feel like - to see your face spread across the nation as every TV screen, billboard and newspaper depicts you as the world’s most wanted creature. 

It begs Josie to question, _What the hell is she doing out in the open in the first place?_

Jed steps forward, between Hope and Violet as though to protect the Tribrid, and Josie shoots the auburn haired girl a questioning look. _Since when has Hope ever needed protection?  
_ “Hope, we need to get out of here. They’re going to be worried if we don’t get home soon.”

Hope nods, and looks to Josie hopefully. “Will you come?”

Josie feels Violet’s grip tighten around her. “You’re not going anywhere right, Babe?”

Josie frowns. Violet’s never called her that before. She’s never seen a possessive side to the vampire before, but then again it’s not like she’s had anyone to compete with.

Hope retaliates with a blunt comment. “I think Josie can speak for herself.”

Josie’s mouth goes dry. Her eyes dart from Violet’s icy gaze to Hope’s pleading look.

“Please Josie, come back with us. We’ll bring you back to Lizzie. You’ve no idea what this will mean to her, to everyone there.”

Josie turns around to face her companions, “Come with me please? My sister is alive.”

Violet huffs in response.“You really think you can trust her Josie? This is the girl you’ve spent the last three years despising! Don’t fall for her lies!”

She pretends she can’t see the hurt expression on Hope’s face. When they broke the Gemini curse, it severed the magical emotional bond the twins shared - which would explain why Josie could not have sensed Lizzie being alive. Hope knew that, and she could definitely take advantage of it if she wanted to but surely Hope wouldn’t lie about something like this? 

“Violet, please. My sister is everything to me, I can’t leave her behind again.”

* * *

  
  


She finds herself in the back of a stolen, black minivan less than an hour later travelling through the winding, country roads. Jed’s driving, but Jonathan called shotgun wanting to keep a close,watchful eye on the other wolf. Pedro’s lying across the seats of the back row, resting his leg. Meanwhile Josie finds herself in the middle seat of the middle row with Violet on one side of her, and Hope on the other.

The blonde vampire hasn’t let go of her hand since they left the woods, but has barely spoken a word. Josie never would have pinned her for the possessive type. Hope is equally as silent,but every now and then Josie can swear she can see the tribrid stealing glances at her out of the corner of her eye.

“So how far away is this place anyway?” Jonathan questions.  
“About a two hour drive from here,” Jed replies. “You think you can all be civil for that long?”

“As long as the Tribrid’s cloaking spell doesn’t trigger off a Triad tracker and get us all captured,” Violet quietly remarks.

Hope rolls her eyes. “You think a stolen van speeding through the woods would be more subtle?”

Josie isn’t exactly sure whether she should butt in or not. Violet has been acting ridiculous ever since they encountered the Salvatore group, but she’s not exactly ready to jump to Hope’s defense either.She closes her eyes and tries desperately to drown out their bickering by thinking about her sister, and what their reunion will be like. What do you say to someone you spent the last three years thinking they were dead?

“Bite me Tribrid.”  
“Careful what you wish for!”

“Stop it! Both of you!” Josie almost screams, running her hands through her hair. She feels the familiar threat of an oncoming headache throbbing in her right temple “Jeez, would it kill you not to act like children for two seconds?”

“Shit!” Jed curses from the front seat. Whatever the issue is, Jonathan is quick to catch on.  
“You never checked to see if there was enough gas?”  
“Sorry I was too busy focusing on how to get away from the woods before the Triads got back!”

Josie rolls her eyes. _Seriously, it’s just one problem after the next._ Between Hope and Violet’s bickering, and now this, Josie’s afraid she’ll snap before she even gets within near distance of her sister.

The engine is making some sort of chugging noise, and Josie might not know much about cars, but she knows that's not a good sign. 

“Anyone have any idea where we could even get some gas around here?” Jonathan asks as the van continues to travel slower.  
“Yeah, there’s a gas station about five miles from here!” Hope somehow seems to know.  
“Five miles!” Jed whines, “We don’t exactly have time to be hanging around!”

“Violet will get there and back the fastest,” Jonathan offers, much to the chagrin of the blonde vampire who seems to have no intention of letting Josie’s hand go anytime soon. "

Jed pulls them off the road, the van trundling to a stop. "Please? We need to get back on the road as soon as possible if we're going to make it back before dark."

“Fine, I’ll go,” Violet sighs dramatically, sliding the side door open.

“Vi! Wait!” Josie jumps out the van door after her. “Be careful, please?”

Violet flashes her a soft smile before kissing her on the nose. “I’ll be back before you know it. You think you can keep yourself under control for two minutes Tribrid?”

The vampire doesn’t wait for a response though, she just gives Hope a sly grin before vanishing into thin air. 

“Nice company you got there Josie,” Hope bitterly comments, stepping out of the van to join her in getting some fresh air. 

“Don't you start. I might not still be here without them. Besides," Josie shrugs before continuing, "They've never abandoned me."

“Maybe if you just let me explain!” Hope inches forward but Josie's determined to keep the distance between them.  
“Save it Hope. I just want to see my sister.” 

She needs the girl to understand that she would not even still be in her orbit if it wasn't for the promise of seeing Lizzie again. 

She notices rays of sunlight slipping through the tree tops that border either side of the road. It's felt like the longest winter of her life, maybe the ice is finally beginning to thaw. She thinks about how Lizzie used to jokingly refer to herself as the sunshine in Josie's life, a guiding light getting them through the obstacles constantly thrown at them. _More like a solar eclipse,_ Josie would tease back. 

_Maybe she was right after all,_ Josie tells herself but shaking her head, dismissing herself for letting her emotions run wild. 

All the same, she feels the gentle heat of the sun rays as she steps into them and feels the need to take off her heavy, leather jacket, leaving herself in just the black t-shirt she changed into just before they left. For what ever reason, this seems to earn her a gasp of horror from Hope. 

“What the hell are those marks on your neck? Did she _bite_ you?”  
“Why do you think it’s any of your business.” Josie scowls, throwing her jacket back on just as quickly as she took it off.  
Hope scowls. “That vampire thinks it’s okay to just treat you like a blood bag? Jesus Josie, thought you'd more respect for yourself than that.”

“Hope, you don’t get to do this anymore! You left me remember? Whatever I thought we had clearly meant nothing to you. You don’t get to play the jealous card now.”

The crease in the tribrid's forehead deepens, but she says nothing.

“Where is he anyway?”

“Who?” Hope looks genuinely oblivious.  
Josie rolls her eyes. “You know exactly who. Landon.”  
Hope’s demeanor instantly shifts. “Oh, well I don’t exactly know. Best case scenario, he’s dead.”

Josie’s brows furrow and she’s not exactly what question to follow that statement up with. But as of some luck, she hears a crackling of leaves from the edge of the forest behind them and she turns around to face the vampire who has returned with the gas that will get them back on the road.

Except it isn’t Violet.

It’s a very much human man, in the middle of the empty woods they've managed to make it halfway through without encountering a single soul, standing just yards away from them. And while his plaid shirt and faded jeans do not pose the same threat as the black triad uniform, there's a shotgun slung over his shoulder that could do some serious damage. His eyes land firmly on Hope, squinting at first as though to figure out where he’s seen this girl before.

As his eyes widen in realization, Josie is one step ahead of him, her loaded crossbow already in her arms.

Aimed and ready to fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Lizzie and Josie will reunite very soon.
> 
> All kudos and comments are REALLY appreciated.
> 
> If you're bored, I posted a Dark Josie/Hope one-shot the other day. I'd really love it if you checked it out.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!  
> Please don't come for me because of character deaths, just stick with the fic and things will be revealed each chapter!  
> Thanks for reading :)


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